Reversible dust mop



April 22, 1958 J. K. THOMPSON ETAL 2,831,207

REVERSIBLE DUST MOP Filed March 26, 1954 ne 157 Zhongwen, Thurmt Maz/uson Jlvz/El/s/Toles.

BY w/ @V90-01. ATTORNEYS.

J'oSe/ah i' ate 2,831,267 Patented Apr. 22, 1958 REVERSIBLE DUST MGP Josephine K. Thompson and Thurman D. Thompson, Decatur, Ga.

Application March 25, 1954, Serial No. 418,838

6 Claims. (Cl. 15-228) The present invention relates to an improved dust mop, and provides certain improvements in a dust mop of a type which is adapted to be used for dusting furniture, woodwork, walls, flooring, moldings, window frames, door frames, Venetian blinds, and the like, the improved mop of the present invention comprising a construction embodying a pliable or flexible dusting element for reaching into restricted locations of highly diversified character, and also for enabling efficient dusting of surfaces which are diicult to reach with conventional dusting equipment.

Ordinary dusting and polishing mops are of substantially rigid or firm construction and of such size as prevents their reaching certain restricted places, or places accessible only with diiculty, such as behind legs of beds, tables, and other furniture, moldings, tops of window frames or door frames, where there is a tendency for dust and dirt to accumulate.

Moreover, dusting mops are difficult to clean so that usually they are merely shaken from time to time, a process which only partially removes dirt and dust, particularly after the mop` has been used on surfaces such as kitchen floors and walls. Also, these mops have only one dusting surface, which substantially limits their period of use without requiring cleansing.

The present invention has for one of its objects the provision of a dust mop comprising a pliable and soft resilien` head or pad member which constitutes a permanent part of the mop which is enclosed in a soft, liexible case or cover formed of a fabric material and adapted to be detachably secured in place over the head member.

A still :further object of the present invention is to provide a mop of the class described and in combination with a frame member interconnecting the head member to a handle member, the head member `being slotted so that it will not interfere with .movements of an operating handle which is adapted to be moved in a 18() degree arc, this allowing the mop to be reversible.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mop of the indicated character in which the aforesaid pad or head is received in a freely iiexible, soft Slipcover which is made of a dust collecting fabric material which is provided witli pad retaining7 means and slotted to permit the slipcover to be slipped over the operating handle, and stitching means for maintaining the pad in proper position when being used.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a duster mop comprising a substantially thin flat soft flexible head portion mounted on a flat frame structure encased within said head, a handle member having detachable and hinged connection with said frame substantially central of said head, and a readily removable envelope or sack-like cover formed of a soft dust collecting fabric adapted to receive the head and being of a length twice the width of the head to provide four dusting surfaces, and means in connection with the cover to maintain the head properly positioned in use, the formation of the pad and cover being such as to permit the handle to move through a 180 degree arc.

Further objects and advantages of the present improved construction will become apparent as the description proceeds, and the features of novelty will be pointed out in particularly in the appended claims.

The present improved dust mop -construction will be understood more readily from considering the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the mop assembly with the flap of the dusting element folded back upon the head.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational View of the mop assembly with the handle removed and the ap of the dusting element extended.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the mop head or pad with the handle attached thereto and the dusting element removed.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line we of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that the improved dust mop of the present invention comprises a at and flexible pad or head A, enclosed in a freely exible slip-cover B, which is of a length approximately twice the width of the pad A. The pad A, which is also freely flexible, receives and encloses a flat stilfening and reinforcing frame C which will be referred to in greater detail hereinafter, and which is composed suitably of a steel rod that hasV been bent into a shape such as is shown in dash lines on the drawings. This frame C has hingedly or rotatably attached to it a socket member or connector D which threadedly receives a mop handle E.

The pad A comprises a soft resilient and flexible cotton padding or the like l preferably disposed in layers enclosed in a fabric cover 2, both the pad A and Slipcover B being recessed or cut out, as designated at 3, to receive the handle and connector D.

The at supporting frame structure C for the head A is preferably formed from a steel rod comprising a central straight hinge portion 4 of a length somewhat greater than the width of the recess portion 3 and is oppositely bent therefrom downwardly and outwardly forming the diverging leg portions 5 and arcuately and upwardly forming substantially parallel side portions 6, and then, as at 7 arcuately, inwardly and downwardly, forming the oppositely disposed hook-like parallel end portions 8, thereby providing a substantially flat rectangular reinforcing and stitfening head supporting frame. The hinge portion 4 is substantially at the center of the frame C. and when the frame is operatively positioned within the head, the said hinge portion 4 is positioned adjacent to the bottom of the recess 3 and substantially centrally of the head A, with parallel side portions 6 disposed between the recess 3 and the side edges of head A.

As has been pointed out above, the frame C is flat and forms a heel and toe, which holds the pad or head in flat position, regardless of the position of the handle. The median or hinge portion 4 of the frame C has bent around it, as a loosely encircling sleeve, the free end of the reinforcing structure 9 of the connector D to form a tubular pivotal connecting hinge 10 between the handle connector D and the frame C, which allows the handle connector to be swung freely through an arc of degrees with respect to the frame C and head A, the registering recesses 3 in the pad A and Slipcover B affording unobstructed freedom for such rotation of the connector D and handle E received in the connector D. It will be seen that this recess 3 permits unobstructed movement of the duster handle E from both sides of the duster mop, thereby making the improved mop completely reversible with surfaces available for dusting on both sides of the duster mop. The soft foundation head of pad A has square ends, as will be seen from the drawings, which enable elfective dusting of walls because square ends lit into corners, and also because of the multiple clean surfaces presented by the improved duster of the present invention. Also, since the frame C is adapted to hold the head A of the duster flat with the handle E at a 45 to 90 degree angle, there is provided a duster which also is particularly advantageous for cleaning ceilings as well as top surfaces of picture moldings, window frames, doors and door frames or the like. Additionally, with the handle E in upright position, the duster can be squeezed into narrow spaces which are not accessible to dusting mops of usual construction, this action being available because of the softness and flexibility of the foundation pad A.

The Slipcover B is made of a suitable soft, freely exible fabric and corresponds in configuration to the soft head A, but is substantially double in length to the width thereof to form a foldable apron portion il, which when extended has a free end 12 that is left open to enable this cover to be slipped over the head or pad A. The slipcover B is folded upon itself midway of its length, and its free bottom ends are not stitched, but left open as at 12. The meeting side edges of the cover are united by stitching 13 from the folded top end to the bottom open end 12. The bottom edges of the recess 3 of the slip cover B and the pad A are left open for the reception of the lower end of the socket structure D. The apron portion 11, of the slip cover B is freely foldable and extensible, provides additional dusting surfaces. The Slipcover B is removable readily from the head or pad for easy washing whenever required, and as no fastening or gripping devices are required for holding it to the head A, there is no impediment to washing the Slipcover in a mechanical washer. The flatness and free flexibility of the end portions of the head pad A enhance the availability of the improved dust mop for access into narrow or restricted spaces or locales which would be inaccessible to conventional dust mops.

As shown on the drawing, at approximately midway between the top and bottom of the slip cover B, short lines of stitching indicated at 14, extending inwardly from the side edges of the said cover B, such providing stops for maintaining the head pad A in fixed operative position within the cover during operation of the mop.

The operative positioning of the head pad A in the slip cover B is effected by simply pulling the open end of the slip cover down over the handle and/or pad, the freely exible end corner portions of the pad enabling easy placement of the pad behind the stitching or stops 14, with its upper side edge in engagement with the upper end of the slip cover, and by smoothing out the lower corners of the pad behind the stops 14, the attened out pad A and the cover overlying the surface of the pad present opposite smooth dusting surfaces, and with recesses 3 of the cover and of the pad in registration, with the socket structure D extending within the recesses and through the bottom thereof, with its lower hinge end l in rotative connection with the straight hinge portion of the frame C. The shape of the resilient mop head pad A is normally preserved by the inherent resiliency of the reinforcing frame C, which is centrally positioned within the head pad equi-spaced from the side and end edges thereof, and providing soft resilient side and end portions, and corners thereof.

The manipulations are substantially reversed for removing the slip cover from the head pad which may be accomplished by simply inserting one hand into the open end of the cover, dislodging one or both of the corners from the stops 14 and pull the slip cover upward from the pad, as in removing a pillow case from a pillow, and slip it from the handle E. The similar diverging leg portions of the reinforcing frame extend for substantially equal distances and angles from the hinge within the body of the head pad, so that the upwardly extending side arms 6 of the reinforcing frame become substantially equidistant between the ends of said hinge, and the ends of the pad and side edges of the pad A thus securing the pad A (and slip cover B) in open flat position while maintaining the side edges of the pad and slip cover and the corners thereof freely flexible for entrance into closely confined spaces such as corners of walls, ceilings, door frames, window frames and the like.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the present construction provides an improved dusting device which is substantially rectilinear in contour and which is adaptable to many and highy diversified uses, through the provision of the flat frame C which holds the duster hat at all times against the surface to be dusted together with the soft and exible pad foundation A which is recessed to permit the duster to be used in every necessary position, and also in conjunction with the slipcover B which is contoured to lit the pad A and including opposite dusting surfaces comprising the foldable extension or apron portion 11 which forms still additional dusting surfaces. The present duster is completely reversible With all portions of each side being available for dusting, with the present construction rendered accessible to narrowly restricted spaces and locations, which ordinarily are inaccessible to conventional duster devices. Also, it will be apparent that the handle E may be threadedly received in the holder socket D, as is indicated at l5 or the handle E may be held frictionally in the holder D, which preferably is a metallic socket member or which may be composed of a molded plastic, of which there are many well-known compositions available. However, because the holder socket D terminates in the tubular hinge portion 10 that loosely receives the hinge portion 4 of frame C, a suitable metal preferably is used for simplicity.

it may be further noted that the cover 2 for the soft flexible head A is secured thereon along its end and bottom edges by over-stitching 16, which tends to stiifen and maintain the shape of the head or pad during usage thereof. This type of stitching may, if desired, be applied to the cover B. I

Further, the design of the frame C including the end portions 8 insures the non-shifting of said frame incident to the dusting operation. The tuft structure 17, which is composed, in each case, of long and stout stitching which extend all the way through the padding 1 and the cover 2 of the head pad A and over the adjacent portions of the frame C, thereby stitching the frame and the pad together and arranged as shown, stitches the frame-C to the pad A to positively prevent movement of said frame with respect to the head and also stiffens the head or pad construction as will be Well understood.

The Slipcover B is easily slipped over the handle E and socket structure D with its recessed or cut out portion 3 registering with the recessed portion 3 of the head pad, and the open bottom end of this recess, enabling passage therethrough of the handle socket structure D and with the stops 14 engaging the free edge of the head to hold it in position in the cover, and all that is necessary to complete the assembling operation is to fold the apron portion -11 into overlying relation with the head, as shown in Fig. 1, and proceed with the dusting operation.

From the above it will be apparent that we have designed a dust mop and detachable cover therefor, cornprising a soft flat rectangular head or pad, a skeleton frame within the head, a handle member hingedly connected to the frame substantially centrally of the frame and head, said handle being movable through an arc of degrees with respect to the head, a detachable Slipcover encasing the head manipulative with respect to the head to provide four dusting surfaces.

While tying in the tufting with the frame tends to strengthen the head and frame structure, it will be understood that it is not essential to the operation of the device.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that the embodiment of the present improved duster illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically described in the foregoing specification represents a preferred embodiment of the improvements entering into the present construction, but it will be understood also that alterations in structural details may be made without departing from the inventive concept, and accordingly it will be understood that it is intended and desired to include in the present invention such modifications and changes as may be necessary or desirable to adapt it to varying -conditions and uses as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention what we desire protected by Letters Patent is as set forth in the following claims:

1. A duster mop comprising, in combination, a soft, flexible, at and substantially rectilinear foundation pad having an upper edge, and corresponding side edges, and including a soft and inherently resilient filling material, a exible cover enclosing the filling material and a at rigid reinforcing frame embedded in the pad and having substantially parallel side arms spaced in opposite sides of the foundation pad, said frame including a substantially straight hinge portion, diverging leg portions extending outwardly and connecting the straight hinge portion of the frame to the side arms thereof, the pad having an upper surface and a lower surface with the reinforcing frame disposed substantially equidistantly between the upper and lower surfaces, the said pad having substantially square corners and also provided with a reentrant recess in its upper side edge midway thereof extending inwardly and terminating in an open inner end substantially midway between the top and bottom edges and the end edges of the pad, a handle socket positioned in the said recess and extending into the pad through the open inner end of the recess, and terminating in a tubular sleeve portion loosely enclosing the straight portion of the reinforcing frame within the pad adjacent to the inner end of the recess, thereby forming a pivotal hinge connection between the handle socket and frame and hingedly connecting the handle socket to the pad substantially centrally of the pad, the side arms of the frame extending in the pad upwardly from the said diverging leg portions of the frame and disposed substantially midway between the recess and corresponding side edges of the pad and terminating in hook portions for restraining relative slipping between the frame and pad while maintaining freely flexible all corners and side portions of the pad, the said recess providing unobstructed pivotal movement of the socket relative to the foundation pad while positioning the pad atly against a surface to be dusted in all desired positions of the socket, a flexible slipcover enclosing the foundation pad and having a recess corresponding to the recess in the foundation pad, the Slipcover having an open free end opposite to the recess and extending across the width of the cover, and a handle member removably mounted in the said socket, the said fiat frame and hinge connection between the frame and handle socket continuously flatly presenting the foundation pad to any surface to be dusted in any position of the socket and handle with respect to the foundation pad.

2. The duster mop as claimed in claim l, wherein the said Slipcover is substantially rectilinear and the said cover being also open at the inner end of the recess to enable passage of the socket through the slipcover.

3. The duster mop construction as claimed in claim 2, wherein the Slipcover has a length approximately twice the width of the pad for providing a free apron portion for additional dusting surfaces when the free apron portion is folded over the foundation pad.

4. The dust mop construction dened in claim 1 wherein the said diverging legs of the flat skeleton frame within the head pad terminate adjacent to, but spaced from the bottom edge of the pad.

5. The dust mop construction as claimed in claim 4, wherein the frame is of unitary construction throughout and all portions of the frame are disposed in the pad symmetrically with respect to the edges of the pad.

6. The dust mop construction of claim 5 including a plurality of tufting lstitchings extending through the pad and around selected portions of the frame for cooperating with the hook elements for preventing relative shifting between the pad and frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,127,875 Ellis Feb. 9, 1915 1,758,464 Purvis May 30, 1930 1,836,677 McCarVille Dec. 15, 1931 1,929,082 Simon Oct. 3, 1933 2,075,345 Ielliffe et al Mar. 30, 1937 2,212,172 Veeck Aug. 20, 1940 2,655,680 Geerin Oct. 20, 1953 2,669,741 Jellile Feb. 23, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 792,496 France Oct. 2l, 1935 822,876 France Oct. 4, 1937 1,052,025 France Sept. 23, 1953 

